General Info

The Rhea County Sheriff's Department protects, preserves and safeguards the constitutional and civil rights of citizens through law enforcement. It serves various writs, processes, orders, subpoenas and other civil papers for local courts and other county and state departments. The Rhea County Sheriff's Department operates a jail and detention center that houses pretrial, presentenced, and county- and state-sentenced prisoners. The department supports Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.), which is an international education program that seeks to prevent the usage of illegal drugs, gang activities and violent behavior. The Rhea County Sheriff's Department has the Special Response Team (SRT), which deals with high-risk and dangerous situations, including barricaded persons, high-risk warrant arrests, explosive devices and heavily armed criminals.